Over the last three years, no MLB team has more regular season wins than the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA’s 320 victories are 25 more than the second-place Braves during that span. Yet all the Dodgers have to show for it is an NLCS appearance and two NLDS exits. Their only World Series title of the last 35 years remains the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
Despite their postseason struggles, the Dodgers will be among the favorites to win the Fall Classic in 2024. The additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow add to the elite talent already on the team and make LA an even more formidable team to face. Here is why the Dodgers will win the 2024 World Series.
Best starting rotation depth in baseball
Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Emmett Sheehan — that is a ferocious starting rotation. It is also a list of Dodgers starting pitchers who are on the IL to start the season. Yet even with that quintet out injured, the Dodgers can still throw out a pair of aces in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, plus solid back-end starters in Bobby Miller, James Paxton, and Gavin Stone. Sheehan and Buehler will return soon while the other three will have to wait until after the All-Star Break to return.
That gives Los Angeles 10 quality starting pitching options, including two true aces and at least another two All-Star level hurlers. Miller, Paxton, and Stone should be good enough to hold down the fort until reinforcements come, and after the All-Star break, the Dodgers will have a wealth of options to choose from.
No holes in the lineup
After looking at LA’s starting pitching, opposing teams will hope they can take advantage of the Dodgers’ hitters. That will not be the case. The lineup offers elite hitters like Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman near the top — arguably one of the best hitting trios in the league. The middle of the lineup boasts another tough trio in Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez is coming off a season where he struck out 211 times, but he should have more pitches to hit while batting for the Dodgers.
The bottom of the order has great platoon splits. Jason Heyward had an .818 OPS last year against right-handed pitchers and his .813 OPS overall is the highest since the 2013 season with the Atlanta Braves. James Outman had 23 homers and 70 RBI in his debut season. Utility man Chris Taylor had a 15-15 season while earning about 60% of possible at-bats. These are players that would be four or five hitters on most teams and they have to fight for playing time. Add in contributions from veterans Enrique Hernandez and Miguel Rojas, and you have a Dodgers club that can roll out an elite lineup daily.
Star power built for the playoffs
Time and time again, we have seen that a few hot hitters can carry a team in October. For the Texas Rangers last year, Adolis Garcia’s timely knocks carried the AL West club to the World Series. From there, shortstop Corey Seager’s clutch hitting took the Rangers to their first World Series crown. In 2022, shortstop Jeremy Pena earned the World Series MVP Award, but it was the combined 25 RBI from Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman that got the team there.
For the Dodgers, any number of players can take over as the roster has significant playoff experience. Poor pitching has led to LA’s demise in the last two postseasons, but with the starting rotation locked in, the Dodgers’ hitters can finally lead this club to victory in October.
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